Posts Tagged ‘defund’

The Wall Street Journal recently ran a piece on how a Republican Congress could begin the process of repealing Obamacare. Assuming that Obama will veto any effort to outright repeal the act, author Grace-Marie Turner recommends six key strategies to slowing down or stopping this crippling mandate.

First, she advocates defunding it. House Republican leader, John Boehner, has “vowed to choke off funding for implementation of the legislation, starting with parts that are especially egregious such as the “army of new IRS agents” needed to police compliance.”

Next, dismantle it. Focus committee action and floor votes on portions of the law that are opposed by Republicans and Democrats alike.

Third, delay it.

Fourth, disapprove regulations. The Congressional Review Act (CRA) gives Congress the authority to overturn regulations issued by federal agencies if both houses approve and they can pull off a 2/3 majority vote. (Good luck with that.) Oh, and by the way, the current House has passed a bill that would gut that CRA……

Fifth, direct oversight and investigation. Hold public hearings. Use sunlight as a disinfectant. “Republicans also will want to call Donald Berwick, head of the powerful Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to testify before Congress,” she said “and detail his regulatory agenda for implementing the health-care law. He escaped that duty earlier this year when the White House avoided his Senate confirmation by giving him a controversial recess appointment.” Nice.

Finally, delegate to the states. The author points to Gov. Mitch Daniels “popular and fiscally responsible” Healthy Indiana Plan and Utah’s own health exchange that “provides a marketplace for individuals and small businesses to purchase affordable, portable health insurance.” Both are threatened by Obamacare.

“Americans intuitively understand that government can’t pay for huge new entitlement programs and the expansion of Medicaid with imagined cuts to Medicare, while still improving Medicare’s long-term solvency,” says Ms Turner. “They also know that job creation is flat and that employers’ fear of ever-rising health benefit costs is part of the problem.”

The real expense to Obamacare does not hit until 2014. Right now, it’s up to Republicans to put the brakes on and “explain to the American people the damage it will do.” In 2012, hopefully the White House changes hands so we can start with a clean slate and move to REAL reform.